Bella Meets "River of Fire"

Tom had a phone call recently from a guy named "River of Fire," for real! Sounded interesting, so off we went, walking (well, actually, I got carried into town to meet up with him. I think Tom is now going to buy me a satchel, whatever that is.) 


Turns out that "River of Fire" is the pen name for Harley Evan Burn, a Belizean poet from Belize City.  He was on the island for the day peddling his books on the beach.  We talked with him for a few hours, and Tom says River's poetic style is unique. Personally, I prefer Shelley's style of writing: short, funny, and insightful!
(That ought to be good for a treat.)

Back to River---He asks someone to give him a short phrase, such as "It's a beautiful thing," or "Love, love, love," and he writes an acrostic poem giving credit to the person who gave him the phrase. Here's one he just wrote:

Sand, sea, and sun, the place to have fun,

A dream vacation, in the Caribbean,

Never worry ‘bout time, everything will be fine.

Party down the line, try the premium wines,

Escape into a fantasy, there you can’t get antsy.

Dare the surf and sea--San Pedro holds a mystery.

Relax under sun or star. Make love, not war,

On the biggest caye off Belize--under a coconut tree--under a breeze.

I know it sounds romantic, but it ain't all about lying under the coconut trees here.  Besides . . .

Falling Coconuts Kill More People Than Shark Attacks *

"Falling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year, 15 times the number of fatalities attributable to sharks," said George Burgess, Director of the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File and a noted shark researcher.

Tom asked River what he did to bring in additional income.  He said, " I sell roasted squash seeds (called pepitos) and homemade fudge." I wanted to try the fudge, but Tom said, "No way."  Something about dogs can't have chocolate, but Tom said it was delicious. Guess I'll never know.

River, father of two, is also a radio talk show host, and a political activist. His annual income from all sources is approximately $7,000 USD, better than the average income, so we hear.

If you want to know more, or if you want to buy one of his seven books, here's a link to a news article from a Belize City television station:

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=21589 

According to Tom and Shelley, who are kind of my only source of reference, it's the warm and friendly people of Belize who make this place so special.  Visitors like the laid-back lifestyle, the coconut palms, the balmy breezes, the sand, and the turquoise blue of the water, but it's the people of Belize who really impress them.  And as Shelley says, "Everyone has a story!" 

Well, get ready for hard times: Shelley is going on a diet. And you know what that means: When Shelley goes on a diet, we ALL go on a diet. Yikes. I only weigh six pounds, although an insensitive veterinarian told us once that was practically obese for a petite, "little thing" like me. Looking at Tom's double chin, I think a diet would do him good, but, overall, island life is certainly agreeing with him. I never see him in long pants anymore, and I think he's considering a hairstyle like Hobie's--a ponytail!



Y'all come visit. We'll hang out on the beach. You're gonna love Belize!

                               * Thanks to faithful follower Amanda Munro for the coconut/shark reference!